10 The Hungry Ghost
A thin, ordinary-looking man stood before Li Xiang. Had it not be his title written by the Divine Script behind him, Li Xiang would have assumed the person to be an unknown immortal being, not Leng Bao Yuan, the Hungry Ghost of the World Tree Domain.
Dressed in a plain gray robe discolored from prolonged use and sporting extremely ordinary features, the thin man offered a small bow to Li Xiang, before gesturing to follow him, repeating his message once again.
"Young Miss, please follow me to receive the World Tree's punishment. It would be highly appreciated if you would cooperate, as then my task will be much simpler."
Hearing such words inadvertently caused Li Xiang to furrow her brows. Although her senses could not determine the strength of this man before her, her instincts constantly screamed danger, and she had already unconsciously adopted a cautious stance. There was no doubt, if she attempted to flee, the man would haul her back with a single palm. After brief contemplation and observing that Leng Bao Yuan had maintained his polite approach, neither appearing imposing nor displaying any aggressiveness, Li Xiang sighed before relaxing her body.
The Hungry Ghost of the World Tree Domain, though she had never met him before, she had seen his plaque in the judgement room of the World Tree. Named as the Palace of Punishment, the Hungry Ghost possessed the highest combat ability out of all immortal beings under the realms of Primal Elder. A mere Heavenly General would not last a single slap from Leng Bao Yuan if the Hungry Ghost had become enraged. The horrifying aspect of the Hungry Ghost was not his terrifying combat ability, but as the vicious torturer of the World Tree.
Observing the punishments for crimes above treason, the Hungry Ghost was renowned for his habit to experiment on the captured criminals. From tomes on equipment, medicine, and even cultivation for lower-tiered immortal beings, references of Leng Bao Yuan could be found in any random tome in the Immortal World. Hailed as one of the driving founders of knowledge, the Hungry Ghost's cruel experimentation had allowed for the technical aspects of the Immortal World to develop beyond the primitive stages of creation.
Unfortunately, Li Xiang could not find any respite in such a glorifying ideal, for almost all of the entities tortured by the Hungry Ghost retained their sanity, their conceptual frame having been forcefully distorted to the extent of nonrecognition.
Stepping into the torn space created by the Hungry Ghost, Li Xiang found herself in the middle of a massive plaza. Immortals could be seen streaming by in vast quantities, and many shops were open on the sides, creating a wide hub of communication and exchanges. Li Xiang even believed for a moment that Leng Bao Yuan had brought her to a mortal world, until she noticed massive quantities of divine essence concentrated in each being.
The plaza itself was a work of architecture. Each panel on the floor was a perfectly sculpted triangular slab of polished limestone, and the walls were made of nephrite jade, etched with carvings of an animals, plants, and a massive tree. From the outside, the entire plaza appeared to be a massive pentagonal structure, with the walls exceeding a thousand zhang in length, width, and height. An inverted triangular roof was implemented, creating an interesting building.
Following Leng Bao Yuan through the plaza, Li Xiang affirmed that socialization among immortals were not that much different than mortals disregarding the outrageous concentrations of divine essence. Commerce shops and stores of varying influence could be found anywhere, and the style of conduct was quite similar to mortals interacting. Dresses of both liberal and conservative models flashed everywhere, and the slight gleans of conversation Li Xiang obtained were no different than her previous experiences in the mortal world. The only unsettling factor was that nobody noticed either Li Xiang or Leng Bao Yuan, almost if the two didn't exist.
Before long, Leng Bao Yuan had brought her before a sanctuary. Two kneeling and praying sculptures of angels served as archways for the sanctuary, and the plaque of a divine tree was imprinted onto the ground. With a large assortment of flora and trees decorating the outer court of the sanctuary's compound, Li Xiang felt a surge of nausea when she sensed the divine essence attributed with nature and life. If she wasn't wrong, this sanctuary should be one of the old tree's worshipping altars.
Sure enough, the inner court confirmed her expectations. The walls and floor were created from the highest quality of sandalwood, and the only object in the inner court was a small, wooden altar emitting a calming breeze, yet Li Xiang could perceive a recessive trait of brutality and indifference hidden in the compassionate aura. The Hungry Ghost promptly bowed respectfully to the altar, then observing that Li Xiang hadn't bothered to budge, he kicked her knees in to force a kneeling posture.
Shortly after receiving the greetings from the Hungry Ghost, the wooden altar exploded into fragments of coalesced divine essence and wooden chips. From within the explosion, a copious mass of divine essence formed into the shape of a deformed sphere, and within rang out an ancient voice, eroded by the vicissitudes of time, hoarse and unhurried.
"Punisher Leng, you have brought the little girl? Why does she not greet me, the Tree of Life?"
"Responding to the World Tree, the mortal girl has indeed been brought here. She refuses to acknowledge your existence as a childish tantrum." The Hungry Ghost answered. Faced with Li Xiang's angry glare, he quickly leered at her before turning back to the mass of divine essence, adopting an indifferent expression.
"…Punisher Leng. Decide the punishment for the mortal girl, to celebrate her adulthood. Remember the parameters I have assigned her when she arrived!"
The voice of the World Tree boomed out once more. Though the World Tree sounded quite unfeeling and uninterested in the matter, Li Xiang felt a slight vicious and gleeful tone within the voice, as if the World Tree was sneering at her misfortune and more than happy to fan the flames even further.
'What childhood? What adulthood?' Li Xiang fumed at both the Hungry Ghost Leng Bao Yuan and the World Tree, but her sense of dread and fear spiked from the following conversation.
"As the Punisher of the Right, I will decree her to the tempering of the third layer of the Samadhi Fire for five years. No rest will be given, and she is to perceive the history of the Immortal World." The Hungry Ghost stated in monotone.
"…Too light. Are you being merciful?" The World Tree responded, nonchalant. From a non-related person's perspective, these two powerful entities deciding Li Xiang's fate for the next five years seemed to be having a pleasant chat over tea.
"Then let her be assigned to the Heat Scripture and Soul Scripture for five years. She is to read the scriptures without pause, recite it both backwards and forwards, and transcribe a copy in the Divine Script." Leng Bao Yuan's voice now shook with a little anticipation and excitement, and he leered at Li Xiang once more, this time not even bothering to hide his expression before the World Tree.
"Still too light. Is this a punishment, or are we reenacting a mortal rise in his so-called 'daoist' path of suicide?" The World Tree mocked without any hesitation, also not concealing its vicious side. To Li Xiang, these two appeared to be no more than wolves preying only on the weakest sheep. How she wished to tear the World Tree apart and burn its roots!
As for the Hungry Ghost, she couldn't think of a procedure of revenge, for perhaps being tortured was an enjoyable pastime for that perverted soul.
"Then give her to me for a few years. I'll return her in pristine condition with a Crystal Soul!" Leng Bao Yuan asserted confidently, as if Li Xiang following him was a safe haven and peaceful blessing.
"Not possible. Though I did spring it on Jun brat without warning, this girl is his wife. Don't be like Divine Palace's Minister Feng, sullying others' wives." The World Tree countered. Li Xiang's ears perked up. Her never-introduced husband's surname was Jun?
"Then a few years listening to the lament of Chang?"
"Too light again! Did you take a liking to this girl?"
"Then grilled over the fourth layer of the Samadhi Fire for a few years. The smell and taste of perfectly grilled Crystal Butterfly meat, how succulent. Mm." Leng Bao Yuan proposed, his drooling face causing Li Xiang to tremble violently.
"When did this become an execution? Pain can be issued without limit, but physical damage can't be issued. Don't enrage Jun brat, he likes his things clean and untouched, nor is he is an ordinary Heavenly General. Don't eat my butterflies either!" The World Tree roared.
"Then subject her to the highest quality Ghost Feast for a few years. She is to complete it before she is allowed to depart, and physical damage wouldn't be present! It would be her weakness if her soul crumbles, tsk, tsk, for which immortal without spiritual cores would give up the chance to exponentially increase their maximum capacity for divine essence without limit?" The Hungry Ghost's eyes turned into crescents, and an expression of infatuation and sadistic joy stretched over his thin face.
The World Tree sent a grunting noise of approval, ultimately sealing Li Xiang's fate. Throughout the entire process, Li Xiang could only helplessly stare at the Hungry Ghost as they nonchalantly discussed her punishment, with Leng Bao Yuan even proposing a bet over how long she would last before croaking! She didn't know the contents of any of these punishments, but none of them sounded like she would escape without being flayed to an inch of her skin, ah!
Ignoring the pitiful Li Xiang who desired to burst into tears yet lacked courage, the mass of divine essence dissipated, returning the sanctuary into calm and tranquility, with traces of nature-attributed divine essence providing a 'gentle' and 'compassionate' breeze. The Hungry Ghost Leng Bao Yuan gave a brief bow to the center of the inner chamber, then grabbed Li Xiang's arm before transporting the two elsewhere.
-
When the turbulent divine essence calmed down significantly, representing that the spatial transfer was complete, Li Xiang finally opened her eyes and jumped in shock, her heart leaping out of her throat in surprise.
Mere centimeters from her face was an immortal being. Contorted in despair and terror, the face contained traces of extreme beauty and gentleness. The immortal seemed frozen, her body stiff, and two detached stumps on her back could be seen; they appeared as the base of previously attached wings. What terrified Li Xiang was that though her senses and Heaven Core confirmed a complete lack of divine essence or even a soul within the frozen immortal, her intuition judged that the being before her eyes was still alive, and suffering miserably.
"Finally awake? Welcome to the Ghost Feast of Immortals, young miss! Congratulations, you may now receive the massive benefits of unlimited improvement!" Unknown when, the Hungry Ghost had snuck up behind her, and he even jabbed Li Xiang with a wooden stick in the back, nearly causing her to stumble and collide with the immortal before her.
"What is this Ghost Feast? What happened to her?" Li Xiang pointed towards the frozen immortal, her voice slightly trembling from her danger instincts directing her to flee with utmost priority after hearing the words 'Ghost Feast'. Though she didn't know the contents, just the name itself was capable of causing her to fear and palpitate.
"Curious, little girl? As the old wise love to prattle about, its best to experience something by yourself than hear another preach about it. All you need to know that if you actually wanted to increase your soul's affinity with divine essence, then the Ghost Medley would have been appropriate. As for the Ghost Feast, tsk, tsk, pray that you don't end up as her!" Leng Bao Yuan sneered towards her once more, then pushed her into a void.
Whirling around to see the Hungry Ghost's plain grey robe transform into a flamboyant red robe brimming with extravagance, Li Xiang was bade farewell by a slight taunting voice, and a casual wave of the hand.
"Good luck, young miss! If you actually retain your sanity from this, do grace me with your presence! I'll be waiting at the Fallen Fragrance Hall in the World Tree Domain!"
Leng Bao Yuan cackled as he left the dark chamber, brimming with elation. If she did manage to survive the Ghost Feast, then the World Tree was indeed going to face burned roots and a fierce pruning.
